Lawrence Weiner

Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in January 2011

Los Angeles, Regen Projects, Lawrence Weiner: Placed on the Tip of a Wave, July - August 2009
Miami, The Sender Collection, Home Alone, November - December 2011

This piece is conceptual and therefore a condition report is not possible
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

On October 12, 1969, Lawrence Weiner released a Statement of Intent, declaring his work as such:

1. The artist may construct the work
2. The work may be fabricated
3. The work need not be built

Each being equal and consistent
With the intent of the artist
The decision as to condition rests with
The receiver upon the occasion of
Receivership

As one of the first Conceptual artists in America, Weiner has never wavered from this first declaration of intent. The prolific definition of his installations as “language + the material referred to” allows him to evade the limitations of the act of displaying art objects, relying solely on language to communicate the content of each work. As further investigated by Gary Garrels, “Weiner suggests in his work that any set of conditions is not fixed but is open to intervention. Rather than attempting to establish an order of relationships as in the laws of physics (i.e. to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction), Weiner establishes an understanding of physical conditions as functions of the artist and audience in relationship” (Exh. Cat., New York, Dia Center for the Arts, Lawrence Weiner: Displacement, April 1991 – February 1992, n.p.).

Weiner’s work has appeared ubiquitously on billboards, sidewalks, the façades of buildings, pins, audio recordings, as tattoos and in museums, all meant to seamlessly integrate his explorations of various materials with the general public while challenging the very notion of language and material itself. Weiner’s desire to exhibit his artwork in these open forums certainly traces back to his upbringing in the South Bronx, New York, where his exposure to art was in the form of various scribbles and abandoned messages on the New York City walls. A further testament to the Conceptual and egalitarian nature of his œuvre, Weiner’s works only exist as language itself. They can be displayed in any form, and while the artist is closely involved in each work’s manifestation—from the size, font type and color to surface texture, and wall alignment—each new owner is encouraged to refabricate, and thus reinterpret, Weiner’s message within their own environment.

(Image: The present work installed at the Home Alone exhibition at the Sender Collection, Miami, 2011. Photo courtesy of Markus Huagg)